Give Hope

Bringing Hope, Food, and Education to Haiti

In 2010, a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti leaving death, destruction, and misery in its wake. But from this terrible event came a spark of hope that has grown to impact the lives of hundreds of young people in Haiti. 

Angela Quinn traveled to Haiti after the earthquake with a group of doctors from the Charlotte area. She served as the team journalist to document the work of this relief mission. “Haiti was life-changing for me. I had never experienced that level of suffering and poverty,” Angela says. “I met a little boy who was at the orphanage where we were staying, and he really grabbed my heart. I knew I couldn’t go back home and forget what I’d seen.” 

In 2011, Angela took her father, Roger Braswell, on another medical mission trip and like Angela, Roger was struck by what he experienced. The team of doctors determined that the children in the orphanage were malnourished, but funds weren’t available to make changes. 

“My dad and I started reaching out to family, friends, and business associates, asking people to help by donating $50 a month to sponsor a child so we could make sure they were nourished. That’s how Give Hope started as a renourishment feeding program,” Angela says. She and her father serve as co-founders of Give Hope. 

Once the children in the orphanage were healthier and well-fed, Give Hope expanded its mission to educating the children and building up the community around where they lived. “We named our organization Give Hope because our mission is to give hope and bring lifelong change through the power of four things: the Good News, good health, good education, and good jobs,” Angela says. 

Over the last 12 years, Give Hope has improved the schools where the children learn as well as the village where they live, built up the healthcare program in the community, and provided job training and education. “We’ve seen a lot of these young people graduate from high school and now we are putting them through university,” Angela says. “Right now we have two students in medical school in Port-au-Prince.” Give Hope also supports students pursuing computer technology, culinary arts, sewing, and a trade school where they can get their commercial license to drive heavy equipment. 

Melissa Woeffler serves as executive administrator at Give Hope and relates how the ministry has impacted her life. “I lost my son in a tragic accident a few years ago. When I came to Give Hope, I had a vision of helping others, but God has a way of flipping that so I ended up far more blessed than anything I could have imagined. While I lost one child, Give Hope has given me so many more children in Haiti.” 

Lynsey Waddle serves as education advisor. “Serving with Give Hope has become a huge personal journey for me as I’ve worked with teachers in Haiti. Give Hope pours as much into your life as you think you are pouring into others. It has changed my life as I’ve watched it change the lives of others.”  

Give Hope connected with TowneBank through Emily Steele, daughter of Greg Steele, TowneBank Greenville president. “When Emily was in college a few years ago, she had a life-changing event on an impact trip to Haiti. She was later baptized in Haiti with our whole team supporting her,” Angela says. “She got her whole family involved and we then moved our banking business to Towne. Emily continues to do so much for us, coordinating our silent auctions at our annual gala and organizing our trips, all on a volunteer basis.” 

People looking for ways to help Give Hope can support their annual gala which TowneBank sponsors, go on an impact trip, or shop at ShopHopeGlobal.org, which features beautiful handmade goods created by Haitian artisans. All proceeds go directly to fund Give Hope ministries in Haiti.